The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir

Ji Man was currently doing gymnastics and wearing a uniform that she had the seamstress specially create. In college, there had been a professor in the Chemistry Department that liked to research about weight loss and had imparted a lot of her knowledge to her students. Ji Man was glad that she had a good memory and was able to remember some of the exercises the professor had mentioned back then. She wrote out an exercise routine and followed it every day.

Originally, Gancao and Dengxin had been so shocked that their jaws had dropped. But by now, they were so accustomed to this sight that they would merely chat and spectate. It was because their master had said this was from a secret martial arts book that would help build up her health through exercise. The two simple servant girls easily trusted her words.

“Chenyu isn’t like her mother. She has a lot of foresight, and her planning ability is pretty good too,” Ji Man responded as she jumped around, “Right now, the marquis goes to Qiangwei Courtyard the most often. Why shouldn’t she rush over there for the chance to profit from the marquis’s favored treatment to his darling? If she comes to my lonely Feiwan Courtyard, it’s unlikely that she’ll get any benefits.”

Unconvinced, Dengxin asked, “Who said that Feiwan Courtyard isn’t favored?”

Ji Man glanced at her.

The young servant girl twitched her lips and quietly said, “When I went to the kitchen today, Aunty Zhao was as warmly cordial as before. The amount of food that she gave me wasn’t any less than usual. If anything, she gave more than required. Master, if the marquis doesn’t care about you, would a stingy person like Aunty Zhao be acting so generous?”

Gancao said, “This servant also feels that amount of delicious food and other items hasn’t decreased in this courtyard. Master, although the marquis hasn’t come, it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t care about you.”

Ji Man smiled. “He’s probably feeling guilty, so he wants to compensate me. But if he comes here to see me, he’ll probably be alarmed and immediately turn around and go.”

“Go where?” A chilly voice came from the courtyard’s entrance.

Ji Man froze in surprised. She hasn’t changed out of her exercise outfit yet. Her neck was stiff, and she didn’t dare to turn around to look at him.

Ning Yuxuan quietly walked inside. There wasn’t anyone behind him. He was wearing a formal robe and appeared as Cassanova-like as always.

“Marquis.” Gancao and Dengxin stood up and saluted. After coming up from her curtsy, Dengxin hastily picked up the nearby outer robe and draped it over Nie Sangyu.

After tidying her hair, Ji Man turned around and also saluted, “My lord.”

Ning Yuxuan raised his eyebrows. He walked to her side and looked at her from top to bottom for a long time. He finally pursed his lips and harshly said, “Too fat.”

Ji Man’s lips twitched, but she docilely replied, “It’s inevitable to gain weight after giving birth.”

On the side of the courtyard, the one-month old toddy kitten was chasing after a small insect and meowed at this time.

Marquis turned his head and glanced at the toddy kitten, then he looked at Nie Sangyu and quietly said, “You’ve suffered a lot.”

For an inexplicable reason, Ji Man’s eyes got a little bit teary. She straightened her back and asked, “My lord, can you ease this servant’s suffering? Can you bring my baby back to me?”

Ning Yuxuan opened and closed his mouth. He seemed to want to say something, but he swallowed those words down and shook his head. “I can’t.”

Bah, then you might as well have said nothing!

Ji Man faintly smiled. She drew the outer robe around her and said, “My lord, with my appearance like this, this servant won’t be able to serve you. My mother has already sent my younger sister here. If you’re interested, then feel free to go and see her.”

“Chenyu?” Ning Yuxuan casually sat down on a stool and indifferently said, “Wan-er already bought her to see me yesterday.”

After saying this, he glanced at her, “She looks quite similar to your previous appearance, but as for your current one...”

Ji Man automatically ignored his disdainful gaze. She thought; Wen Wan, that servant, was behaving more responsible and diligent than her, the main wife. If the harem’s management was handed over to her, then there was nothing for her to worry about.

“My lord, what are your plans?”

“Hmm? Aren’t you still alive? She can be a concubine.” Marquis Moyu unconcernedly turned his head. “All things go into decline, it hasn’t reached the point where you should act outrageously. If you anxiously try to stabilize your position, you’ll be more likely to suffer a setback.”

Ji Man focused on the first part of his reply and didn’t think about the hidden meaning of the latter part.

He was only giving Nie Chenyu the position of an ordinary concubine? Wouldn’t that put her on the same standing as Muxu and Jinse? Chen-shi would definitely be angered to death. But, it was her choice to send her daughter here. It was too late now. If she wanted to take her daughter away, it wouldn’t be easy to marry her off to someone else.

Really, Ning Yuxuan was too despicable. He probably didn’t want to inflate Nie Clan’s ego. This was why he wasn’t willing to give Nie Chenyu face, right?

However, it was only much later that she understood that Marquis Moyu’s “you” wasn’t referring to Nie Clan. He had meant the third prince and the imperial noble consort.

After only sitting here for a bit, Marquis Moyu left. It was the same as if he hadn’t come. However, she was left feeling surprised that he hadn’t seemed stunned by her current roundly venerable appearance.

—

That night, Nie Chenyu received the marquis’s favor. It was rumored that Wen Wan had acted as the matchmaker.

Ji Man didn’t pay attention to outside matters and wholeheartedly focused on exercising. She also planned out a diet in the passing. She was determined to lose the excessive weight within two months.

However, even though she just wanted to lose weight and didn’t want to cause trouble, there were still people that wouldn’t leave her alone.

After Nie Chenyu had only received the position of a concubine, someone jokingly said to Chen-shi that it must be because Nie Sangyu was suppressing her younger sister and not allowing Marquis Moyu to raise her position. This had to be the reason behind Nie Chenyu’s lowly position.

Chen-shi was furious when she heard these words. She wasn’t a magnanimous person to being with. She immediately went to the palace to cry out her grievances to Imperial Noble Consort Nie. She told her that Nie Sangyu was already halfway to a handicapped person, but was deliberately blocking her younger sister’s way and not allowing the marquis to favor her.

Because of the toddy kitten incident, the favor that Imperial Noble Consort Nie got from the emperor had slightly diminished. And so, after this conversation, she summoned Nie Sangyu to the palace.

Ji Man didn’t even need to guess why Imperial Noble Consort Nie had summoned her. She would definitely order her to help Nie Chenyu raise her status in the marquis’s household in order to strength the relationship between Nie Clan and Marquis Moyu’s family. Once she was no longer a useful pawn, the aunt that used to wholeheartedly support her would still choose to abandon on her.

Translator Ramblings: While its understandable for Ji Man to think the worst of Ning Yuxuan, I do feel a bit bad for him that she doesn’t see any of his attempts at helping her. Does he think that Nie Sangyu is in cahoots with her aunt and cousin, the third prince? So, he’s sending a message to them through her? He knows that Nie Sangyu is no longer in love with him, and she’s clever enough to continue faking her feelings. He doesn’t know if she’s still loyal to him.